Data security has become an ever increasing concern for data centers that rely on media, such as tape cartridges, virtual tape cartridges and other types of media stored in media storage libraries. In response to this concern, various mechanisms and technologies have been developed in an attempt to improve data security. For example, encryption of data is used to deter this type of security breach.
Another aspect of data security is controlling access to the data stored on the media. Controlling access to the media includes the need to detect and/or closely monitor such access. In the case of an automated data storage library such as a tape library, detection and monitoring of access can be extremely challenging because many libraries are made to facilitate insertion and removal of media from the library. This inherent conflict between the desire for rapid and easy transfer of cartridges in and out of the library and the need for limiting such transfers has been difficult to resolve. Consequently, users and controllers of media libraries can become particularly troubled over the complexity of preventing unauthorized movement, i.e. insertion or removal, of media cartridges from a media library.
Attempts to provide notification that a library has been accessed, i.e. door opened or closed, mailbox opened or closed, etc., have been not altogether satisfactory for determining unauthorized movement of media cartridges. For example, systems that utilize SCSI “unit attentions” or “standard sense data” can be insufficient for a useful level of security for several reasons. First, these notifications may only be provided in response to subsequent commands to the library, e.g., a polled event. Further, an inadequate level of specification is provided with respect to whether any media was added or removed. In addition, in the event media is removed, no identification of which media was affected is directly made available. Moreover, these events are provided to a backup application rather than an administrator or user of the library. Therefore further delays in notification may result.